


As anyone can see

by Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: F/F, agreia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-07-26 02:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7556293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas/pseuds/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leia introduces Agria to her family and their inn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As anyone can see

For a spy who had been all over Rieze Maxia, there were still plenty of areas that were unknown to Agria. She had seen the snow-engulfed city of Kanbalar and the ever-glowing lights of Fennmont, yet a small island in between the two was one place she had never set her foot on before: Leronde.  
  
It was a third time in Agria’s life when she had to abandon her previous lifestyle and move on. At first, she had been a daughter in a royal family. From there, she had eventually joined the ranks of King Gaius’ special forces: the Chimeriad. With the king now striving towards peace rather than war, the Chimeriad been disbanded. Now they had all moved on with their lives, including Agria.  
  
It had taken Agria quite some time to find her next calling in life. Despite her former status and experiences given her age, Agria had never been able to study properly, making it quite difficult for her to settle in with the rest. Despite her anger issues and slacker’s attitude, Agria had the support of a friend, a constant rarity throughout her life. Leia Rolando had filled the void in Agria’s life, left behind from Gaius’ missions and work-related discussions between her fellow Chimeriad.  
  
With her help, Agria had finally decided to pursue the same path as her friend, using her expertise in reporting as a spy to her advantage. She had been accepted as a junior reporter alongside Leia and soon the two had formed a proper reporting duo.  
  
Now though their next destination lay in Leronde. Rumor had it there had been something strange happening at Felgana Mine. With Leia’s home nearby, it was only natural to send someone who knew the area. After a needlessly vocal fight with their boss, Agria had also been given a permission to join her, even if the job was easily handled by just one person.  
  
“Ugh, it smells like fish in here,” Agria grunted as she stepped out of the ship.  
  
Leia couldn’t help herself but chuckle a bit at Agria’s behavior. She was often angry at just about anything, be it her hamburger not having enough pickles to her liking or her coffee not tasting exactly the way she wanted. Now it seemed like the cause of her irritation was the fact that a city known for fishing was smelling like...fish.  
  
“Oh, Agria, I told you about that before, remember?” Leia ran to catch up with the shorter girl, shaking her afterwards. “Leronde’s major industry is fishing, seeing as it’s, you know, an island? So it’s only natural for it to smell like that. You should get used to it, because I think that’s what they’re serving today at my family’s inn,” Leia remembered. Even if she had been away from her home for quite some time now, she still remembered the schedules just like the alphabet.  
  
“Ugh, what a joy,” Agria mumbled as she turned to look at Leia. “I hope they also serve something else. I just can’t stomach fish.”  
  
“You can’t stomach or you just don’t want to? You do know that fish is really healthy?”  
  
Agria hesitated to give Leia an answer. Just as expected from a former noblewoman to a secret agent with an unlimited budget and near-free-rein from her master, Agria was in many ways still spoiled. Even if she didn’t get to eat fancy food brought to her by a servant on a silver plate, she still preferred to pick her meal based on what she wanted and not necessarily what was good for her. The refrigerator she shared with Leia was a funny sight, as half of the food in there consisted of soda, fast food and other consumables that certainly never would feature in a list of healthy foods The other half, on the other hand, were foods that would be touted in all sorts of articles and advertisements, the kind the two reporters occasionally had to write as filler pieces.  
  
“Whatever. Just...you know what I eat, so you tell your parents that,” Agria eventually spat out.  
  
“I did actually tell them that, since I called my parents yesterday,” Leia remarked.  
  
“Oh, really?” Agria raised one of her eyebrows slightly. “What did you tell ‘em then?”  
  
“Oh, I told them that I’m not coming alone. Oh, and I also told them that you need an extra fluffy bed, two pillows and that you have a _remarkably_ strict diet.” Leia smiled back at Agria.  
  
Agria couldn’t really keep up her angered look much longer, despite the smell of fish remaining pungent, even after they left the harbor. “Well, _that’s_ good. Did you tell them anything else?” Agria asked. She had a curious tone in her voice. Normally Agria didn’t like to ask questions all that much, but now something had peaked her interest. Had Leia said that she was a friend, co-worker or perhaps something else?  
  
“Hmm…” Leia tapped her chin lightly while pondering Agria’s question. “I don’t think so? I mean we talked about my job, what we’ve been up to, why we’re here and stuff.”  
  
Agria turned to look away from Leia for a moment, as if to gather her courage. Just what exactly was going on between them, even she didn’t really know. Leia was her good friend, perhaps in a sense her only true friend. While the Chimeriad were close, there was something about Leia none of them could possibly match.  
  
“Did you say anything else about...me? Or I mean, us?” Agria asked quietly, as if afraid that someone might hear them.  
  
“Well I told them that we’re close friends and work buddies too. And that we live at same apartment,” Leia listed as she recalled yesterday’s conversation from her mind.  
  
“Oh, okay.” Agria waved Leia off as she didn’t want to push on the topic further.  
  
Maybe it was for the best this way. Even if same-sex relationships weren’t an issue these days, Agria still remembered how royal families, herself included, were very keen on keeping things the traditional way. While it wasn’t a big reason for her to cut off her ties with her family, it had certainly helped Agria to disown them.  
  
“Just so you know, my mother has quite the personality. So...if she asks you to do something, I think that you should just obey her. Trust me, things will be easier that way.”  
  
Agria could barely remember what having an actual family was like. While she certainly remembered her own mother very fondly, the rest of her family she had mentally blocked out of her memory.  
  
“Oh, is that so huh? Is that a challenge?” Agria grinned.  
  
“No, that’s...more of a warning. Everyone in Leronde knows my mother. She’s...she has a personality. For example, I learned to fight from her, so I guess that already says something about her.”  
  
“Your mother taught you to fight with a staff? Some childhood you’ve had.” The white haired girl snorted. Sarcasm had always been a good coping mechanism for Agria and to this day, that remained true.  
  
“Yeah.” Leia giggled as she swung an imaginary staff in her hands, recreating some basic swings and stances. “My mother has always said that a physical exercise is good for relieving stress and staying in shape. So don’t be a stranger if she wants to teach you a thing or two while we’re here.” Leia said while patting Agria on her back.  
  
“Ugh, I suppose I _have_ to. I mean, I guess it’s kinda rude to decline an offer, especially since I’m visiting your home.” There were still few things Agria clearly recalled from the time she was still a member of royalty. Being invited to another person’s home was a sign of trust, so it was guests duty to play their part and be as helpful and open-minded as possible.  
  
“That’s the spirit!” Leia cheered, lifting up the smaller girl in the air momentarily.  
  
“Ugh, let me go!” Agria grunted. Even if part of her, big part of her in fact, wanted the hug to prolong, this wasn’t the time or place for it. Acting like her usual self was clearly the best and most sensical move.  
  
“We’re almost there, actually,” Leia realized as they walked past the clinic owned by Jude’s parents.  
  
“Hooray.” Agria sarcastically cheered with Leia. She was excited to see what Leia’s parents would be like, yet it was hard for Agria not to make the comparison between them and her own parents. The doubt lingered in back of Agria’s mind, but for once she decided not to be vocal about it.  
  
*  
  
As they arrived at Rolando’s inn, Leia prepared to make her grand entrance. Despite Agria’s protest of it being stupid and childish, Leia still decided to go with her plan. Placing both of her hands on the door, Leia slowly opened up the doors.  
  
“Get out of here, you bum!” a strong voice yelled.  
  
Leia’s body froze in nervous recognition. It didn’t take long for Agria to also put pieces together. Surely this was the character-filled mother Leia had just talked about.  
  
Agria pulled Leia away as she saw that someone was thrown out of the inn. Leia had clearly spoken truthfully as the woman who had expelled the vagrant from the building, despite her lacking height, had more muscle than most soldiers Agria had seen over the years.  
  
“Next time, you make sure you have enough money before you order. You know the prices!” Sonia dusted off her hands. She was quick to focus her attention to what actually mattered, turning to glance at her daughter and her friend.  
  
“Sorry that you had to see that, but you know how some of these people are, Leia,” Sonia shook her head. “I guess they just can’t resist your father’s cooking, but still, they have to pay up, or at least work for it. This isn’t a charity.”  
  
“Of course, of course,” Leia quickly replied as she wanted to move her mother’s attention to something else. “This is the girl I mentioned, Agria. This is my mother. Mother, this is Agria.” Leia took a step backwards after her introduction so they could properly introduce themselves.  
  
“Sonia, Sonia Rolando. I raised this bugger right here,” Sonia smirked back at her daughter before turning her focus back on the girl Leia had talked about for a good while now.  
  
“Agria...just Agria,” Agria bluntly replied. With her name change, she had also disbanded her family name. She wasn’t Nadia anymore, nor was Travis. While in legal documents she was still a member of House Travis, that was as far as she went. To anyone addressing her, she was simply Agria.  
  
“Yeah, I’ve heard a good deal about you already. Leia tends to mention you every time we talk.” Sonia laughed. Agria turned to look at Leia with a puzzled look on her face, almost like asking if that was true without actually saying anything. “Don’t worry, though, she’s got only good things to say about you.”  
  
“Heh, well that’s...that’s good.” Agria knew that Leia had more than her fair share of opportunities to badmouth Agria, as she was far from the ideal roommate, yet it seemed like Leia had decided to keep such stories between the two of them.  
  
“Why don’t we all get inside now? I’m sure that you two are hungry by now.” Sonia patted both girls on their back before guiding them inside the inn.  
  
While Agria couldn’t really relate to missing her home, she saw just how much it rejuvenated Leia’s spirit. Agria had seen few photos that Leia had taken of her home and her parents, so she knew what they looked like, yet it was always a different thing to see something live compared to a picture on a screen. The inn was wide enough to house several guests, with the kitchen area taking up most of the space.  
  
“Hey dad!” Leia dropped her shoulder bag upon seeing another familiar figure working around stove. Agria understood the tall man to be Warrick, Leia’s father.  
  
“Leia!” Warrick ran to meet up with his daughter, lifting Leia high up in the air before settling her feet back safely on the ground. “It’s so nice to see you again. Me and your mother have missed you so much.” Warrick began to weep, rubbing his eyes on his pink apron.  
  
Agria had heard that despite his looks, Warrick was rather emotional. She had doubted that, but it didn’t take long for that to be proven true as well. Leia was holding back her own tears, but Warrick didn’t hold back his tears at all.  
  
“Are they...always like that?” Agria turned to look at Sonia who was standing beside her.  
  
“They sure are. Leia got her training and working attitude from me but I think she mostly got her personality from him.” Sonia smiled. “But let’s go and break those two up or we’ll all starve to death.”  
  
Sonia waited for a moment before she stepped in, Agria following few steps behind her.  
  
“Okay, okay. You two can hug later, but how about we treat our guest now?” Sonia ruffled her daughter’s and husband’s hair for a moment before turning their attention to the white haired girl behind her.  
  
“Oh, pardon me,” Warrick bowed down. Upon extending his hand to greet Leia’s guest, Agria couldn’t help herself not to snort at the comparison in their sizes. Her own hand was miniscule to begin with, but in comparison to Warrick’s huge, sturdy hands, they were seemingly even smaller. It was like comparing a branch into a log. “You must be Agria, right? Leia has talked about you a lot.” Warrick ended with a hearty chuckle.  
  
Agria felt slightly out of her element to be in such accepting company. While the memory of her own parents still haunted her, Leia’s parents were quick to accept her, welcoming her with open arms.  
  
“Yes, that’s me.” Agria shook his hand. “You’re the chef here, right?”  
  
“Heh, I sure am! You two should go and unpack your bags. Leia will show where her room is, and you two can sleep there. We have to clean up the other rooms for all our new guests—some kind of seamster convention coming around or something **—** so you don't mind sleeping together. Right?”  
  
Agria nodded back at Warrick, turning to look at Leia over her shoulder right afterwards.  
  
Seeing Leia smile confirmed something. She had known that this would happen from the start.  
  
*  
  
“So, what do you think about my parents?” Leia asked while tinkering with her door.  
  
“They seem all right. At least, your mother seems to be something. She certainly has spirit,” Agria admitted.  
  
“Yeah, you got that right.” Leia smirked.  
  
With so many keys around the keychain, it took Leia a moment to remember which one was the right one for her room. After a few rounds of trial and error, she found the right key.  
  
“Ah, just like I remembered!” Leia screamed in joy, bouncing up and down a bit.  
  
Seeing Leia so happy was enough to make the normally grumpy Agria to smile a bit as well, something she did very rarely these days. As she had expected, Leia’s room fit the girl who it used to belong to very well. There were plenty of posters, most of them with some sort of motivational text or message. On shelves Agria saw some figures, right underneath them plenty of magazines ranging from fitness to animals.  
  
“So I’ll be sleeping in your room then, huh?” Agria asked after letting Leia suckle in the nostalgia long enough.  
  
Leia slowly turned to look at Agria over her shoulder. “Um...is that okay for you? I mean, we do sleep on the couch together already from time to time, so…”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine. I’m just…”  
  
Agria didn’t really know what to say. Part of her was delighted to sleep in the same bed, knowing that if she felt restless, she had someone to keep her company, but at same time, it felt like a sleepover rather than anything more meaningful. It was selfish to want more, especially when Agria wasn’t sure just where their relationship was standing, yet it was a feeling she couldn’t simply shake off. “Nothing, forget about it.”  
  
Leia didn’t ask Agria any further questions as she knew that the white-haired girl was both temperamental and quick to anger when someone poked her with too many questions, especially personal ones. “Ah, okay then. I do hope that my bed is big enough for us. You do have a habit of rolling in your sleep,” Leia said with a soft giggle. She had seen how Agria slept and for a former noble, that was exceptionally ungraceful.  
  
“H-Hey!” Agria hissed back at Leia. “...I’ll try not to, okay, but you know what I’m like. And this is a new environment. It takes me some time to get used to new places, you know that.” Agria sighed.  
  
Leia remembered clearly how rough the first few months had been for them. While Leia had been feeling homesick, it had been Agria who had true difficulties in adjusting to her new life. The worst part had been the nights, as Agria had been unable to sleep properly. Knowing just how prideful Agria was, Leia had known that she needed to do something without asking her to help her out. Slowly but surely, Agria finally started to get used to the new environment as Leia had been by her side whenever she fell asleep, keeping the restless girl company when she needed it the most.  
  
“I know, I was just joking, that’s all. I didn’t tell my parents about your issues, I just told them that we can sleep in the same room. It saves them money too, as they don’t have to withhold two rooms from potential, paying guests.” Leia pointed out.  
  
“Good, good.” Agria sighed. The less Leia’s parents knew about her personal life, the better. If they only knew about Agria, Leia’s lazy roommate and coworker, then that was more than enough.  
  
“Hey you two, come downstairs when you’re ready! Food is ready!” Sonia’s voice bellowed from the floor below.  
  
“Okay Mom!” Leia shouted back. “We should head back down. Trust me, you don’t want to keep my mother waiting.”  
  
Agria snorted as she was already imagining Sonia dragging a young Leia from her room to eat. “Yeah, I imagined as much.”  
  
*  
  
Much to Agria’s chagrin, the food Warrick had prepared did revolve almost solely around fish. There was grilled fish, fish stew, even fish fingers with dip. The food that wasn’t fish seemed to be either meant for appetizers or dessert, but not the main meal itself.  
  
“Leia told me that you’re a bit picky, but I told Warrick to do his best. You’re not allergic, right?” Sonia asked Agria while leaning in closer to her.  
  
“N-no.” Agria mumbled in response.  
  
“Well then, I’m sure that you’ll enjoy what Warrick has cooked for you. Fish isn’t for everyone, but at least try those fish fingers, okay? Leia used to eat them like a maniac when she was little.”  
  
“Heh, yeah. Did you make garlic dip with them too, dad?” Leia asked.  
  
“Sure did. Of course I remembered something like that.” Warrick chuckled before taking a bite of his own meal—grilled salmon with plenty of potatoes.  
  
Agria knew how important it was to be as friendly as possible to people who were guesting you. While part of Agria wanted to complain about the choice of meals presented to her, she did understand why her options were limited. It was at times hard to adjust to the fact that she no longer had the luxury of choosing what she wanted. She had been a daughter of royal family and then servant to a king, but now she was a guest in a normal family. Being able to eat what she wanted wasn’t something she could simply demand.  
  
“I suppose I should give them a try, then.” Agria let out a nervous laugh as she reached out for the fish fingers. It was a stupid fear of unknown, her own distaste holding Agria back as she hesitated to grab a hold of the stick-like fish product. Opening up her mouth, Agria was preparing herself by revising some of her royal training. Clutching a fist was supposed to help not to throw up, as well as gathering up one’s willpower.  
  
Crunch, crunch...gulp. Agria managed to swallow. To her surprise, the taste wasn’t all that bad. The flavor of the dip truly made it all the more tastier. Without even realizing it, Agria was soon eating the fish fingers as if they were french fries.  
  
“So, you’re also a reporter, right? How did you end up pursuing the same career as our Leia here?” Sonia asked. She couldn’t help herself not to smile upon seeing someone as reserved as Agria to not let her doubts get the best of her.  
  
Agria licked her fingers clean from the fish grease and dip before turning to look at Sonia. “Yeah. I had…” Agria pondered for a moment how she should choose her words without letting Leia’s parents knew about her past as a spy. “I had—”  
  
“Agria used to write a small column in their local newspaper when she was younger, so she has a natural talent for this sort of stuff,” Leia intervened. Agria had already thought of a convincing lie, but she was once again saved by Leia.  
  
“Oh? Fancy that. Our Leia here first wanted to be a nurse, but then she realized it wasn’t really for her. I don’t really know what lead her to change her career, but I’m glad she did. I’ve never seen her this happy to be honest.” Sonia smiled at Agria before giving a similar smile to her daughter as well.  
  
It was common knowledge to anyone around the table that Leia had held feelings for Jude, the boy who used to live in the clinic across the street. Admitting that there wasn’t the faintest spark in between them had been hard pill to swallow at first, but Leia, even surprising herself, managed to quickly get over it and move on. Jude was still her close friend, but that’s all they were these days. Leia still looked back on her time as a nurse fondly, but that wasn’t the path she wanted to follow for the rest of her life, not anymore.  
  
“I’m glad you’re there to help her out,” Warrick managed to comment even with his mouth full. “Our little Leia here tends to have her moments of doubt and now we’re not there to cheer her up, so we’re very glad that you’re there for her.”  
  
Sonia gave Warrick a slap on back of his head for speaking with his mouth full. “Manners!” She sighed, but judging by the warm smile she had, she also felt the same way. “Thank you for being there for Leia. I know she’s a handful, but you two seem to get along nicely.”  
  
Agria wanted to say how it was the other way around. She needed Leia. Leia wasn’t the troublesome one, the one who needed reassurance and support—she was.  
  
“Mom, Dad, don’t go embarrassing me in front of Agria like that!” Leia huffed playfully. Just by looking at Agria, Leia could tell that she didn’t want such praises directed at her, even if they were actually true.   
  
In midst of all the doubts and self-blame, it was easy for someone with Agria’s past to forget the times she had been there for Leia:  carrying her to her bed, cooking for her when she was late with her article, or simply listening to her worries. Their friendship and care for each other was mutual, even if Agria forgot that at times.  
  
“I’ll...I’ll do my best,” Agria managed to say.  
  
It wasn’t the fear of being educated not to speak with her mouth full that made it hard for Agria to speak her mind, but instead the fact that she was in such a warm, accepting environment. It all felt like a dream to her, but the feeling of Leia’s fingers gently touching hers reassured Agria that it wasn’t a mere dream.  
  
*  
  
The rest of the day, much like Leia had prepared Agria for, was spent working. Even Agria, who only had experience with washing clothes by seeing her servants do it, had been asked to join. At the end of the day, she had cut logs, cleaned clothes and even baked a little with Warrick. Working hard like this wasn’t really something Agria enjoyed, yet the welcoming environment was a nice change. Agria made sure to complain enough, though at this point her gripes were perfunctory,just to keep up her reputation as a slacker.  
  
Agria felt spent when she eventually found her way into Leia’s room. Seeing that Leia was already asleep, Agria simply lifted up the blanket, joining up to sleep next to Leia after undressing.  
  
As she had expected, it was hard for Agria to get sleep even when she was physically exhausted. Her body was tired, but her mind was very much awake. Remembering one of the first tips Leia had given to her, Agria decided to go downstairs for a glass of water.  
  
“I’m so happy to see Leia so happy,” Agria heard Warrick’s now-familiar voice coming from downstairs. She stopped in her tracks to listen. Eavesdropping was one skill she was good at, even if she wasn’t proud to use it now. “I think she really might be in love with her.”  
  
_W-what…?_ Agria almost asked out loud, but she managed to stop herself at last possible second.  
  
“You _think_? You should know your own daughter better than that,” Sonia commented. “I _know_ that she’s so happy because of that girl. She’s in love, it’s as clear as day.”  
  
“Should we do something for them? It seems to me like they’re hesitant to make the first move, even if both of them know that there’s something going on.” Warrick asked.  
  
“Nah, let love work its own way. They’re both young, they’ll figure things out on their own.” Sonia laughed. “How about we head to bed now too? It’s been a long day after all.”  
  
“Sure thing, honey,” Warrick cooed.  
  
_...Is it really that obvious?_ Agria asked herself. Now she didn’t need to drink, but to do something else entirely.  
  
Upon entering back into Leia’s room, Agria made her way underneath the blanket once more. Hesitating for a moment, she reached out for Leia’s hands, interlocking her fingers with her. She got a quiet mumble in response, a signal that Leia had woken up.  
  
“Oh, I’m sorry, Agria. I fell asleep while I was waiting for you to come back.” Leia turned around to face the white-haired girl lying next to her.  
  
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Agria smiled back at Leia, even if it was a bit hard to see in the dark. “You know...I’ve been thinking…” Agria lingered for a moment, keeping her hold of Leia’s hand tight. “There might be one way that you could help me sleep even more peacefully.”  
  
Leia let out a questioning ‘hmm’ sound. “Oh, really? Then tell me and I’ll do it.”  
  
“Okay, but I’m warning you...I might need this daily from now on.”  
  
“Okay, okay, but tell me what it is!” Leia laughed as she started to get impatient. Agria was often such a tease and this time was no different.  
  
“I won’t tell you...I’ll show you,” Agria whispered.  
  
With her fingers tightening their hold of Leia’s, Agria leaned in closer to Leia, her mouth opening up to place her first kiss on Leia’s lips. She knew that the feelings was mutual, as Leia had come half way to meet up with her. It felt soft, warm and accepting, just like the woman Agria had just gotten to kiss.  
  
“I guess it took us long enough to figure this out?” Leia giggled as she stole yet another kiss from Agria’s lips.  
  
“Indeed…” Agria grinned as she pulled the brown-haired girl closer to her. “Indeed.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was made as part of tales of big bang event. More of which you can find here: http://bbtales.tumblr.com/
> 
> You can also find me at tumblr http://lordofspiritsandbazongas.tumblr.com/ If you have ideas, suggestions, feedback, comment, anything like that, feel free to contact me.


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